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Samneang Peo VISUAL DEVELOPMENT OF A VISUAL NOVEL Visual Storytelling in an Interactive Game Bachelor’s thesis Degree programme in Design 2019 Author (authors) Degree Time Samneang Peo Bachelor of Culture March 2019 and Arts Thesis title 65 pages Visual Development of a Visual Novel 52 pages of appendices Visual Storytelling in an Interactive Game Commissioned by South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (XAMK) Supervisor Brenda Jimenez Abstract The visual novel is an interactive video game genre that is based on heavy narrative style gameplay. Gameplay mainly involves the reading of a fictional story that is delivered through a text box, with static character sprites in the background. What separates visual novels from other game genres is an emphasis on storytelling. The objective of this thesis was to explore and research the visual development process in the production of a visual novel. It mainly focused on the fundamental visual elements that are used to deliver a story for this genre; this included the creation of character art, background art, user interface, necessary in-game assets, full-screen images and overall layout of the game. The thesis delved into the theories behind how these elements are used to tell a story within the genre. The product of this thesis is a game made in collaboration with two other game designers. The author of this thesis was responsible for the creation of all the artworks, while the others developed the gameplay, story and user-interface. The primary objective of the designers was to produce a game that is entertaining and immersive in its storytelling. The process of collaboration was documented, and the process of designing visual elements that is based on a script was also explored. The theories and techniques used in visual storytelling media that were researched are then applied to the game. The success of the game was then judged by the performance of the gameplay and how well the storyline played out. Due to the time constraints, other possible techniques such as animation effects could not be included in the game, despite being researched. Keywords Visual novels, character and environmental art, visual development, visual storytelling CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 5 1.1 Visual Novels .......................................................................................................... 6 2 VISUAL DEVELOPMENT ............................................................................................. 7 2.1 Designing for a Visual Novel ................................................................................... 9 2.1.1 General layout .................................................................................................. 9 2.2 Characters ............................................................................................................ 11 2.2.1 Main and supporting characters ...................................................................... 13 2.2.2 Style ................................................................................................................ 15 2.2.3 Sprites and expressions .................................................................................. 17 2.2.4 Special and animated effects for character sprites ......................................... 20 2.3 Backgrounds ......................................................................................................... 23 2.3.1 Mood ............................................................................................................... 23 2.3.2 Style, purpose and performance ..................................................................... 23 2.3.3 Floorplan ......................................................................................................... 26 2.3.4 Animated effects for backgrounds .................................................................. 27 2.4 User Interface ....................................................................................................... 27 3 IMAGE COMPOSITION .............................................................................................. 28 3.1 Framing and camera angle ................................................................................... 29 3.2 Use of Full-Screen Images (Visual Novel CG’s) ................................................... 32 4 THESIS PROJECT ..................................................................................................... 33 4.1 Collaborative Work ............................................................................................... 34 4.2 Designing Based on a Script ................................................................................ 34 4.3 Core Gameplay ..................................................................................................... 35 4.3.1 Setting the Scene ........................................................................................... 35 4.3.2 Designing main characters ............................................................................. 36 4.3.3 Designing supporting characters .................................................................... 41 4.3.4 Sprites ............................................................................................................. 44 4.3.5 Designing Backgrounds .................................................................................. 46 4.4 Designing User Interface ...................................................................................... 50 4.5 Puzzle CG’s .......................................................................................................... 50 4.6 Full-screen images (CG’s) .................................................................................... 52 4.7 Performance ......................................................................................................... 54 5 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................ 57 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................. 59 LIST OF FIGURES APPENDICES Appendix 1. Game Design Document Appendix 2. Assets Needed Appendix 3. Story Synopsis Appendix 4. Character Profiles Appendix 5. Script Appendix 6. Fae’s sprites 5 1 INTRODUCTION Storytelling is a tool often used by game designers. A story can serve as the foundation of a game by giving it a clear start and end. Given the diverse range of genres in video games, the activity of storytelling can be approached from various angles. One of the genres that relies most on storytelling is the visual novel. Its primary form of gameplay involves the reading of a story through a text box while interacting with characters in the background. This thesis explores the different visual elements that make a visual novel and attempts to apply that knowledge to produce a game. This thesis is primarily a product-oriented thesis and the goal behind it is to create a playable visual novel game. It begins by researching the fundamental visual elements that make up the genre and covers the basics of character and sprite design, environment design, user interface, and overall layout. As visual literacy is essential when conveying messages, directing a player’s attention or being a form of appeal, it is one of the core design aspects this thesis explores during the visual development phase. Other crafts such as special effects in animation and framing of a composition are also explored. It is important to note that only techniques and theories relevant to this game genre are researched. After the research phase, the author begins his work on the thesis project – the visual novel game ‘All Equal’. The product of this thesis is made in collaboration with two other designers, one responsible for the lead development and story, and the other for user-interface design. As such, the collaborative work process is documented. The thesis will continue to explore how the different components come together to form a functioning game as the author applies what was previously researched. This includes how compelling characterization is visually conveyed through the proper usage of learned techniques. 6 Finally, the success of the game is gauged based on performance and discussed in the conclusion. 1.1 Visual Novels The visual novel is a video game genre that originated in Japan. Its main features are text-based storytelling and interactive gameplay, often accompanied by static images of characters in the background. What separates this genre from the others is minimal gameplay and an emphasis on plot and character development. As such, visual novels can often be as long as physical novels but still have the advantage of a video game by offering choice and multiple endings. Visual novels make use of images and sounds, which may range sound effects to voice acting, to deliver stories (Mai, K., 2014). Proper use of these elements is an artform that is derived from other video games and visual media. As this game genre is usually rather simple and easy to produce, it makes up a large portion of all the games produced in Japan. Unfortunately, this genre is also largely ignored by the gaming demographic in both the US and Europe. This is mostly due to cultural reasons. Japan’s gaming industry isolates itself from the rest of the world as it can thrive, simply